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{{short description|Japanese noble}}
{{family name hatnote|Fujiwara|lang=Japanese}}{{Infobox person
| name = Fujiwara no Yorinaga
| image = Fujiwara no Yorinaga.jpg
| alt = Drawing of Fujiwara no Yorinaga
| caption = Fujiwara no Yorinaga
| native_name = 藤原頼長
| native_name_lang = ja
| birth_date = {{birth year|1120}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1156|09|01|1120|05}}
| father = [[Fujiwara no Tadazane]]
| children = {{unbulleted list|[[Fujiwara no Moronaga]] (son)|Fujiwara no Kanenaga (son)|[[Fujiwara no Tashi|Fujiwara no Masuko]] (adopted daughter)}}
| relatives = {{unbulleted list||[[Fujiwara no Tadamichi]] (brother)}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''Fujiwara no Yorinaga'''|藤原頼長||May 1120 – August 1, 1156}} was a Japanese statesman and a member of the [[Fujiwara clan]] who was highly significant in determining the course of 12th century [[Japan]]ese political history.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Historiographical Institute The University of Tokyo|url=https://www.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/library-collection/collection-e.html|access-date=2020-08-12|website=www.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=2019 Kambun Workshop : The Taiki of Fujiwara no Yorinaga|url=http://www.uscppjs.org/2019-kambun-workshop|access-date=2020-08-12|website=USC Project for Premodern Japan Studies|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born in 1120, Yorinaga had a turbulent youth. He later wrote that he did not listen to his elders and would spend most of his time roaming through the country, hawking and hunting - he said he still bore the scars of these expeditions at the time of writing. Despite this, he did proceed to begin studying, particularly the classics of Chinese literature and Confucianism, as well as Indian logic. He read little or no native Japanese works, however, and was later notable for never composing a poem in Japanese.
He was the favourite son of his father, [[Fujiwara no Tadazane|Tadazane]].

==Career==
Yorinaga ascended quickly through the political ranks, achieving the formidable office of Minister of the Right ([[Udaijin]]) by the age of 17. In 1150, he was appointed Minister of the Left, or [[Minister of the Left|Sadaijin]], the highest rank under the Chancellor and the Regent himself. He married his daughter to [[Emperor Konoe]] in the same year.

Yorinaga was a determined defender of the Fujiwara [[Fujiwara clan#Fujiwara regime in the Heian period|Regency]], known for his courageous and obstinate opposition to the 'new men' of the [[Cloistered rule|Insei system]], though he appreciated the necessity of reforming the Regency. He implemented various political reforms during his career: for example, during his term as Sadaijin he reviewed defunct Court practices and observations, viewing them as a deplorable lapse in officials' discipline.

He was known for being overly firm and direct, even impetuous. The [[Gukanshō]] termed him as the finest scholar in Japan, but possessed of rash temperament. Some scholars have suggested that this was due to his lack of knowledge of Japanese literature and hence of native sentiment – his attitude was at odds with that of the easygoing Heian court.
His opponents called him the Aku Safu, or 'Wicked Minister of the Left', due to his passionate reform and strength of character.

Konoe's death in 1155 resulted in a hard-fought succession dispute. Yorinaga and his brother, [[Fujiwara no Tadamichi|Tadamichi]], were divided over the issue. [[Fujiwara no Nariko|Bifukumon-In]] asserted her daughter's right to the Throne, but Japanese society was no longer accepting of a female sovereign, and nothing resulted from the claim. Tadamichi was triumphant, and the [[Emperor Toba]]'s son, [[Emperor Go-Shirakawa|Go-Shirakawa]], succeeded to the Throne. Yorinaga then asked to tutor the heir apparent, a reasonable request given his academic standing, but was denied.

==Hogen Insurrection==
Both of them insulted by Go-Shirakawa's faction, Yorinaga joined with [[Sutoku]], one of Toba’s other sons, in opposition to him. Successfully gathering several hundred soldiers from adjacent provinces, they marched on the capital. They successfully captured the city and readied defences to repel a counter-attack. Go-Shirakawa had the support of the two foremost warrior clans of the day, the [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] and the [[Taira clan|Taira]] – consequently, his forces vastly outnumbered those of Yorinaga and Sutoku. The ensuing battle took place during the night. After heavy fighting, Yorinaga and Sutoku's defensive position was destroyed by fire. Yorinaga was killed, along with fifty of Sutoku's important supporters.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Takekoshi|first=Yosaburō|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ujfVq9v4zoC&q=Fujiwara+no+Yorinaga&pg=PA146|title=The Economic Aspects of the History of the Civilization of Japan|date=2004|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-32379-6|pages=146|language=en}}</ref> The rest of their allies surrendered.

This defeat symbolised the true end of the Fujiwara's power over the capital and the rise of the warrior clans. It had been they who decided the outcome of the succession dispute, and their importance would only continue to grow for the next several centuries.

==Family==
He had two sons: [[Fujiwara no Moronaga]] (1138–1192), who served as [[Daijo-daijin]], and Fujiwara no Kanenaga (1138–1158).

He also adopted the daughter of [[Fujiwara no Kin'yoshi]], [[Fujiwara no Tashi|Fujiwara no Masuko]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fujiwara no Kin'yoshi • A History of Japan - 日本歴史|url=https://historyofjapan.co.uk/wiki/fujiwara-no-kinyoshi/|access-date=2021-09-26|website=A History of Japan - 日本歴史|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Sexuality ==
He had a physical relationship with many aristocratic men such as [[Fujiwara no Narichika]], and recorded it in a diary called the ''Taiki'', a copy of which is held at the [[Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stoneman |first=Jack |date=2010-10-01 |title=Why Did Saigyo Become a Monk? An Archeology of the Reception of Saigyo's Shukke |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/5404 |journal=Faculty Publications}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/collection/ Collection overview of the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo, including the ''Taiki'']

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara no, Yorinaga}}
[[Category:Fujiwara Hok-ke|Yorinaga]]
[[Category:1120 births]]
[[Category:1156 deaths]]
[[Category:Deified Japanese men]]
[[Category:Japanese bisexual men]]
[[Category:LGBTQ nobility]]
[[Category:Medieval LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:People of the Heian period]]

Fujiwara no Yorinaga - Revision history

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